Tip of the Week: Improve Your Freestyle Finish

September 29, 2008

One aspect of technique that is easy to work on and improve is your freestyle finish.  It is all too instinctive and easy to bring your hand out of the water at or above the waistline.  This short finish makes you feel like you are going faster because it allows you to turn over at a faster rate.  However, it has the opposite effect as a long finish doesn’t take a lot more energy to do than a short finish.  As a result, you get slower because you lose that extra propulsion and low energy expenditure that a long finish would give.    Always finish the stroke with your arm almost straight and such that your hand exits the water below the suit-line.  A long finish may feel slow and awkward, especially when you get tired.  However, it is the best way to maintain speed and endurance in the long run.

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